Improvement in filling wood



v IT-E STATES PATENT QFFIG.

NATHANIEL WHEELER, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN FILLING WOOD.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 172,534, dated January18, 1876; application filed 7 December 24, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHANIEL WHEELER, of Bridgeport, Fairfield county,and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful process forfilling the grain and finishing the surfaces of woods; and I herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof.

Heretofore various materials have been used, to fill the grain, inprocesses of finish ing woods, such as pulverized marl, clay, flour,chalk, starch, and different gums, but all are found to haveobjectionable features in use, which my new process is designed toobviate.

In some of the substances employed, the particles, when powdered, areround or spherical and without angles, and consequently do not readilyadhere to each other and unite with the pores of the wood, and othersare wanting in durability, and subject to injurious atmospheric action.

I am also aware that various forms of infusorial silicates have beenused in mixtures for filling the grain of wood, but these are all verypowerful absorbents of liquids, and carry the moisture by the quality oftheir capillarity into the wood itself, which has to be removed byevaporation before the varnish can be applied to the surface of thewood, and which opens the pores when said moisture is evaporated, andprevents it from being solidified, or producing a hard or smooth surfaceready for the varnish.

I use finely-powdered flint, quartz, or feldspar, which arenon-absorbents of moisture or liquid of any kind, and which fill thepores of the wood by the particles packing together similar to aconcrete, and which are combined with any fluid substance that willpermit them being rubbed into the surface, such as oil or varnish, orother similar fluids.

The finely-powdered flint or quartz being so mixed to about theconsistency of jelly, and colored, if desired, to match the wood to befilled and polished, I apply the mixture with a pad of cloth or leatherto the wood, and rub it into the pores, until they are full, when, by alittle continuous rubbing, the surplus material will adhere to the pador cloth, until the whole surface of the wood is cleaned off, leavingthe pores of the wood entirely packed, and when dry presenting a smooth,hard, and glassy surface of great durability, upon which one coat ofvarnish will produce all the finish desired for fine furniture.

I therefore claim- In the art of filling wood the employment offinely-powdered flint, quartz, or feldspar, mixed with oil or otherfluent substance, substantially as described. i

NATHANIEL wHEELEE.

Attest S. J. GoRDEN, BOYD ELIOT.

